The Greenery invites local bands to its house party

A new venue for Saskatoon’s music scene, The Greenery is quickly becoming a popular centre for musicians and fans alike. Saskatoon is a hotbed for musical talent and any new venue tends to be welcomed with open arms.

The Greenery is hosted out of the main floor of a house in Riversdale, giving it a unique setting. Anyone skeptical about this should refrain from judgement before attending — the sound and calibre of performance attained is smashing for a house show.

Events hosted by The Greenery occur every full moon, a date that contributes to the mystic decorations of past shows and adds to the individuality of the venue.

The Greenery’s founder, Adam Logan, started the venue with the intent of networking personally within the Saskatoon art scene.

“Innately, I am a person who would like to collect people together,” Logan said. “I like doing that kind of stuff; it fills me with energy. Initially it was just my way of meeting Saskatoon. It’s constantly changing and evolving into something a little bit different than it was initially.”

The musical acts that have performed in the last five shows at The Greenery are a testament to the flexibility of the venue, ranging from acoustic to thematic and even psychedelic material.

“It’s a space where dialogue can happen between musicians that aren’t normally connected,” Logan said.

The rosters at past shows have been a testament to this. Nowhere else in Saskatoon will you see acts as dynamically different as Slime Street and Caves rocking out on the same stage.

“You know, Jon [Vaughn of Slime Street] said, ‘You’re the only person with balls to book us all together,’” said Logan.

The Greenery has featured Saskatoon-based bands Castle River, Minor Matter, The Shooting Guns and Slow Down Molasses. While the monthly events showcase Saskatoon’s local music scene primarily, it has also given spoken word a new stage for expression. Brendan Flaherty performed some spoken word pieces the night of the Slow Down Molasses show.

The venue itself is symbolic of local artists because it is hosted in a house where several musicians live. The piano against the back wall, the art leaning haphazardly in the hallways and the general ambience and good vibes from those in attendance contribute to the wayward, artistic environment of The Greenery.

Though the venue itself has the feel of a house party, the audience varies from old to young. Many of those in attendance at The Greenery’s last show are part of the Saskatoon art scene, from music to poetry. Elsa Gebramichael and Ash Lamothe of We Were Lovers have attended in the past as well.

Members of the Saskatoon community have also been eager to help out. Almost every member of Young Benjamins has volunteered in one way or another and every show seems to have a new photographer, the most recent being Barbara Reimer — a photography technician from the fine arts department at the University of Saskatchewan.

The location and locality of The Greenery allows it to provide a unique experience for artists and audience members alike.

“The main focus of the Greenery is to create an eclectic blend,” Logan said. “You go to a music festival and the festival houses all these different kinds of people and it’s not just a niche crowd. A normal promoter would book heavier acts.”

The venue will host only four more shows and Logan has big plans for where The Greenery will go from there.

“We’ll probably take The Greenery on the road and kind of rework the idea into touring The Greenery as a party,” Logan said. “So you’d tour The Greenery to Montréal and you’d book a well-known venue in Montréal and you’d book bands specific to Montréal. Think of it as a touring gallery.”

Essentially, Logan wants to form a traveling exposé of Canadian music, creating a nine-month series in each major city before moving onto the next one.

Right now Logan is thinking of keeping The Greenery in the prairies, perhaps moving to Regina or Winnipeg. Whatever the case, the last four shows of The Greenery are not to be missed.

This long-awaited release proves there’s nothing wrong with never changing. Little Dark Age drips with the same semi-psychedelic, synth-driven attitude that the band established back in 2002 — and it’s still a breath of fresh air. The lyrics explore themes like social-media dependence, loneliness and human connection.

Little Dark Age is a balancing act, with lighthearted tracks like “She Works Out Too Much” alongside heavy jams like “James,” in which frontman Andrew VanWyngarden affects a brooding King Krule-esque monotone. Listen, and relive your weirdo days of glory.